Twilight Sparkle
Fluttershy
Rarity
Applejack
Discord
Moone Stromhest (Me/My internet alias)
It is recommended that you read this chapter in 'Night Mode'.
Chapter One: Discovery of a Creature
Twilight's morning was much like any other day. Wake up, freshen herself up in the bathroom, brush her hair, put on her crown if she needed to make a public announcement, and walk to the map room to see if Spike had set up breakfast and coffee yet.
But something was different today. Something she couldn't put her hoof on, no matter how hard she tried.
Twilight shrugged it off and trotted out of her room and to the map room at a sedate pace. When she got there, she found out what was wrong.
A creature was asleep in the map room, and it leant against the wall close to the door. Twilight approached it carefully, and as quietly as she could. She stopped about two yards away from it. She noticed that it was wearing clothes, so that accounted for its strange coloration.
It wore a shirt with sleeves that went partway down its arms, which were resting on its pulled-up knees. What Twilight could see of its arms was littered with scars, both old and new, the most recent ones looking to be about one month old. It's shirt was purple, and its pants were grey. Black, knee high boots covered its feet and lower legs, and Twilight knew they were the kind of boots that would give the wearer an extra inch or two of height.
Twilight took a closer look at its face. There was a scar going over one side of its jaw and it had light circles under its eyes, otherwise it looked fairly young. Its hair was a moderate length, flowing in gentle waves down to just past its shoulders. Twilight could tell it was thick and healthy, and she passively wondered if it was soft.
The alicorn thought that it could be a girl due to the length of her hair and the slightly visible dip in its waist. She didn't know for sure, as its torso was obscured by the semi-solid wings wrapping around it.
Suddenly, it shifted and breathed out. Twilight recoiled in surprise, and after a moment, decided to step closer. Just as she got close enough to see the creatures face in greater detail, its eyes opened. Dark brown, almost black eyes looked up at the mare, seeing yet not seeing her at the same time. Analyzing her. Their eyes looked up at her horn and turned into a hazelnut brown due to the light from the chandelier.
Twilight was about to introduce herself when the creature's eyes widened. Its body tensed up, it gasped, and tried to stand. It settled in a crouch with to a blue jacket that Twilight hadn't noticed before draped over its lap. Its wings fluffed up and spread out, seemingly massive now that they had been opened. It opened its mouth to speak.
It's voice was hoarse and not very loud, but clearly feminine. "Who are you." she demanded.
She looked around, tensing even more. Twilight could tell that she was looking for exits, preparing to flee. "Where am I? Why have you brought me here?!" the creature yelled.
Twilight took a step back at the sudden volume, and attempted to placate the creature in front of her. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, I'm a wielder of the Elements of Harmony and the Princess of Friendship. You're in my castle, and I found you here this morning. I'm not the one who took you here, and I don't know how you got here."
The creature calmed down slightly. After a moment, she asked hesitantly, "... Can I trust you?"
Twilight's eyes widened slightly at that. She wondered, 'What experiences has she been through to spur a question like that?'
Twilight perked up when she heard the creature speak again. It had tensed up once more. "Well? Can I trust you?"
The alicorn nodded and said, "Of course! I'm a protector of Equestria, why wouldn't you be able to trust me?"
The creature seemed to debate internally on whether or not to answer the question. She murmured, "I'd rather not tell." Her wings smoothed out before coming to rest loosely on her back, folding neatly in a practiced motion.
"Oh." Twilight scuffed her hoof on the floor, before asking, "Do you have a name? What pronouns should I use for you?"
The girl jumped in surprise, not expecting the question. Her wings momentarily fluffed before folding themselves again. "... My name is Moone. Moone Stromhest. I'm a girl, so you can call me she/her pronouns."
She fidgeted with the jacket on her lap. Twilight looked at it, and said, "That's a nice jacket. You seem to like it a lot. Have you had it for a long time?"
Moone looked down at the jacket, a fond smile playing at her lips and a soft look entering her eyes. "Yeah, I've had it all my life. Can't remember a moment without it." Her look had gained an old sorrow to it, most likely from unvoiced thoughts. Twilight couldn't help but feel a little sympathy.
"Well, let's get you a room. I'll call the girls over and introduce you to them once you and I have eaten," said Twilight.
"Moone, would you mind following me to the guest room?" Moone nodded and stood, scooping her jacket into her arms as she went. She stumbled, but regained her footing with a bit of help from Twilight. Together they left the room, Twilight supporting Moone whenever she slipped.
A few hours later...
Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Discord, and Twilight were gathered around a table in Twilight's library.
Applejack was the one to speak first. "Um, Twi, you needed all of us, right?" Twilight nodded. "If you needed all of us, then where are Pinkie and Rainbow?"
Fluttershy was the one to answer. "Well, Rainbow is at the Wonderbolts Headquarters."
"And Pinkie can be a little overwhelming, so I thought it would be best to leave her out until my guest has grown comfortable here," chimed Twilight.
Everyone perked up at that, including Discord. 'Is the creature I brought still here...?' thought the draconequus.
Rarity especially stood to attention. "Wait, a guest? Ooh, What is their coat color? Where are they from? Can I make a dress for them?!"
Behind a nearby bookcase, Moone shrunk in on herself, nervous about who might be on the other side. She was tired enough, surely it wouldn't hurt for her to take a nap. She put the warm mug in her hands down gently, so as not to make noise, and settled against the bookcase to wait for her cue.
Meanwhile, Twilight was breaking Rarity out of her fashion spree before it could got too severe. Once the pearl-colored mare had calmed down, she sighed, "I am sorry, darling, that was so terribly rude of me. I am curious, though. What does your guest look like?"
The princess smiled nervously. "Well, she's not exactly a pony, or any other creature we've met. She's more like those humans I told you about when I went to the mirror world. You know, when my crown got stolen?"
Everyone in attendance nodded in understanding, even Discord, although he wasn't there for that event.
Applejack looked at Twilight expectantly. "Where is she? Your guest, ah mean."
Twilight stood and trotted over to stand beside a bookcase. "Everypony, I want you to meet Moone Stromhest." Behind the bookcase, Moone rose, taking the mug of honey water* with her. She tentatively walked out into the room, the others staring at her. She took a sip of her drink, and murmured,"Hello. M-my name is Moone. What are your names?" Her voice was still hoarse, but not as much as it was when she first woke. She wore the same clothing as she did in the morning, except now she was wearing the jacket. Embroidered flowers and ladybugs were visible on the breast. Her hair had been braided by Twilight, and it was tied neatly with a blue ribbon. She stood loosely, clearly relaxed by the hot drink and the jacket around her shoulders. Her wings were fluffed, a sign of her nerves, yet they remained folded at her back.
"Hello, Moone. My name is Fluttershy. I like your name, it's very pretty," said the usually shy pegasus.
Moone smiled gently at the mare, and replied, "Thank you, I like your name as well." She looked around the room, and her eyes landed on Discord. Her wings spread ever so slightly, another signal that she was uneasy. She whispered, "I remember you. I remember you."
Discord perked up, and tilted his head as if to say "You do?"
"Yes, I remember you. From the dark place, I could feel your presence before I fell asleep!" Her eyes suddenly turned cold, as did her voice and her demeanor. "You brought me here, didn't you." The way she said it wasn't a question; it was an accusation.
The girls were startled by the sudden change in mood. Just as Discord was starting to feel as if he was in danger, Moone took another sip from her drink and sighed. She relaxed, wings stretching out, falling limp and touching the floor before folding themselves again.
"Thank you. For taking me away from there. A little warning would have been nice, though. I still feel bad for snapping at Miss Sparkle this morning..." she said. The tone she used was somber, and it shifted into one that would be used when discussing the weather as she mentioned the morning's events.
Twlilight turned to look at her curiously. "What do you mean, 'Miss Sparkle'? I'm not an old mare, you know!"
Moone nodded. "I know, but it is only proper that I address you as such. You have already expressed that you don't wish for me to call you 'Your Highness', but as you are my host, I must give you your due respect. Would you rather I call you 'Miss Twilight'?"
Twilight stared at her numbly before sitting down in one of the chairs, shaking her head. "I-I give up. I just, no. No. I am not that old, so why does she refer to me that way? I don't understand. This is ridiculous, I can't. Spike, would you mind getting me some tea? I need to calm myself..."
Spike gave the sullen princess her tea, and Rarity drew up the courage to ask a question. "Darling, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"
"I'm fifteen, ma'am. Why do you ask?" she cocked her head and raised her eyebrow, looking so innocent for a moment that Rarity had to take a moment to fan herself. A quiet "squee!" was heard from Fluttershy's general vicinity. "Really? Only fifteen? Dear, you look so much younger! I thought you were eleven or twelve! And please, call me Rarity. No need to add 'miss,' although I do appreciate the sentiment."
Moone smiled, and nodded. The evening was spent asking and answering questions, getting to know each other, and just a tiny bit of scolding and explanation when Discord mentioned how he brought Moone to Twilight's castle.
Later, when everyone except those invited to stay the night (Discord and Fluttershy) had left and Moone was in the solitude of her room, did she cry. She broke down and sobbed, crying for all the pain she remembered, and all the joy she experienced in one day. She wept to celebrate the turn around of her situation, and to mourn the passing of it she knew was to come. She had learnt that things like this never stayed for long, and she was going to enjoy this bit of good fortune while it lasted. She didn't know that this change would be here for good.
Moone opened her mouth, and started to sing. Meanwhile, Discord was walking through the halls. He heard the music and came to listen. He gently opened the door, and saw the girl he brought sitting on her bed, singing to herself. Like the night before, he slowed his breathing to listen.
(Moone actually sings to the slower tempo of the music box version here, but I thought I'd link to my favorite cover of the song.)
Moone's voice floated through the air, lilting notes and sorrowful tone breathing life into the lyrics.
"I'm slipping through the cracks of a dark eternity,
With nothing but my pain and the paralyzing agony
To tell me who I am, who I was, uncertainty
Enveloping my mind 'til I can't break free."
"And maybe it's a dream, maybe nothing else is real,
But it wouldn't mean a thing, if I told you how I feel.
So I'm tired of all the pain, of the misery inside,
And I wish that I could live feeling nothing but the night."
Discord listened to the story being told, of the grief hidden and held behind those words. He felt like crying, because it was a sadness he had known while encased in stone. Unconsciously, he started to hum along with her. The notes were barely heard as they were whispered to the air, a secret told to the moon.
"You can tell me what to say, you can tell me where to go,
But I doubt that I would care and my heart would never know.
If I make another move, there'll be no more turning back.
Because everything will change and it all will fade to black..."
"Will tomorrow ever come? Will I make it though the night?
Will there ever be a place for the broken in the light?
Am I hurting; am I sad? Should I stay or should I go?
I've forgotten how to tell, did I ever even know?"
"Can I take another step? I've done everything I can,
All the people that I see, they will never understand.
If I find a way to change, if I step into the light
Then it'll never be the same and it all will fade to white..."
She trailed off, smiling. Her sorrow had been lifted, and she wiped her eyes. Discord smiled with her, a soft moment he hadn't known he needed forming. He closed the door with a quiet 'click!' and padded off to his own room, knowing that he had made the right choice.